Common Route, Chapter 4 - Snippet (Patreon)

Just a rough draft snippet from the common route - chapter four. Figured I'd share a little look at whats to come in the next chapters. I wanted to share a snippet of Chapter Three instead, but there's a lot more branching going on through that section so it's a big difficult to show off a cohesive bit of writing that doesn't have some kind of branch to another part. 

In this section, Jack has made his reappearance in the story.  And Jack's car has appeared!

I definitely do not allow the player to steal his weird little car at any point. Nope. OWO 

Jack: "I was going to stop somewhere soon. A late-night cafe or something."

"I struggled to get myself completely awake when he said that."

Morgan: "Why?"

Jack: "I'd like us to be able to sit and talk for a bit. Face to face."

Jack: "And, frankly, you look like you have a pretty bad case of psi-fatigue. Probably would be good to get some food in you."

Jack: "Besides, I figure a bathroom break is in order...?"

Morgan: "What's...psi-fatigue?"

Jack: "From over-use of psi. You have the classic symptoms - I mean, I reckon you have a headache the size of the Triad right now. Mind fog, elevated heart rate..."

Morgan: "Well, the headache is a little better..."

Jack: "Sleep will help a bit, yeah."

Morgan: "What if the others find us?"

Jack: "We've been driving for two hours, taking a slightly roundabout way back. I'm not sure we're still being tracked at this point. Hopefully, not."

"That didn't instill a lot of confidence."

"I watched buildings and lights slide past, mind sort of vaguely on what my next would move would be. Where would we go from here? What would I do?"

"Maybe this was actually my chance to separate myself from Jack and strike out on my own."

"But even if I did, what then?"

"I sighed again, rubbing at my sore eyes."

Morgan: "I still can't connect to the net."

Jack: "Yeah, that could be because someone subjected you to a neural scrambler. Could just be that your psi messed it up. That can happen when your nano-system isn't equipped to withstand a psi-burst like the one you unleashed."

Jack: "I've never seen one of that magnitude."

Jack: "For an untrained Esper to do that - you're lucky you didn't give yourself permanent brain damage."

Morgan: "Psi-burst..."

"Jack seemed to have spotted a good place to stop because he slowed and turned into the car park of an empty cafe. He came to a stop, then changed his mind and drove around the building to park in the alley behind it."

Jack: "Don't know what it is?"

Morgan: "No, I know. I just didn't really intend to 'release' anything like that."

Morgan: "And how did you even know about that? You weren't in that building at the time..."

Jack: "I had tracked you there and was outside when it collapsed. I saw the distortion trail you left behind when you teleported."

Jack: "That's how I managed to find you later on."

"Jack hadn't hidden it from me that he'd been looking for me, but it was still unnerving to hear all that..."

Morgan: "How...how long have you been following me around like this?"

Jack: "Let's head inside, Morgan. I promise I'll explain everything."

"He opened the door and got out, stretching the kinks out of his back."

"I followed suit, wincing as soon as my feet hit the ground."

"My knees felt less than steady and I grabbed at the bike which wobbled uncertainly under the sudden weight."

Jack: "Watch out!"

"He reached for us both."

"I instinctively jerked away from him, the air crackling with energy."

"And every light, horn and alarm in his two-seater lit up like crazy."

"I clapped my hands to my ears as Jack fiddled with the controls desperately to shut it off."

Jack: "Stop it!"

Morgan: "I don't know how!"

"Jack let out a growl of frustration and grabbed my shoulders, squeezing gently."

Jack: "Come on - deep breaths. If you release this much energy, even that asshole Magnus might get a lock on this location."

Jack: "And if he doesn't, the bishops will. Then they really will track us down."

Jack: "You have to get a hold of yourself."

"I took several slow, wheezing breaths as I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to...not do what I was doing to set the car off."

"It was hard to relax with the alarms shrieking at us the way they were..."

"Not to mention that the screaming pain in my head was back."

"But the instruments did begin to die down one by one."

Jack: "Good job. Just keep breathing slowly and focusing on my voice."

"Easier said than done." 

"But I did my best until finally the noise stopped and I could open my eyes again without feeling like I would inadvertently blow something up."

Morgan: "Ugh..."

Jack: "You okay?"

Morgan: "Feel....really dizzy."

Jack: "I'll bet. Let's get you inside, Butterfly."

"He wrapped an arm around me, and this time I didn't pull away if only because I needed the extra support to stay upright."

"As the automatic door slid open and we stepped into the warm cafe, Jack gave me a half-worried and half-amused glance."

Jack: "So I've been wondering this for a while now but..."

Jack: "Where the hell are your shoes?"